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Zucchini Fries

Zucchini Fries

So, I’ve told you that son #1 is a professional chef, and the guy works all the time. Being in the restaurant business he never has a weekend off, and I suppose that just goes with the territory. Lucky for him he really loves his job. He did however have off the other day and decided to invite his buddies over to watch some football. They were just going to order some pizzas and drink beer, typical guy stuff. Now me, being the hovering mother that I am, felt it necessary to offer these guys a healthy snack. They’re grown men actually, and I probably should have just minded my own business, but I just couldn’t help myself.

I decided to make these zucchini fries for them. I think they’re the perfect snack for sitting around and watching football, all crispy and crunchy. It was just kind of funny when I walked into the family room holding a tray of these and said”hey guys, how about some zucchini!”, they all just looked up at me with this look on their faces like, yay, zucchini…

However, when I returned about an hour later, the tray was empty. Mom’s always right. I’m just sayin’…

Zucchini Fries

Zucchini Fries

from Oprah.com

1 1/2 pounds zucchini, trimmed

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Kosher salt

ground black pepper

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cups panko or plain breadcrumbs

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Arrange the oven racks in the lower third and center of the oven. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut the zucchini into french fry size sticks about 3″ long.

Arrange 3 shallow bowls or pie plates in a row. In the first bowl, whisk together the flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. In the second bowl, whisk together the eggs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. In the third bowl, combine the panko, parmesan and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

Working in batches, first dip the zucchini in the flour, shaking of the excess. Transfer to the egg mixture and toss until coated. Let the excess egg run off, then coat the zucchini in the panko mixture.

Arrange zucchini, without crowding, in a single layer on the prepared pans. Bake for 15 minutes and then rotate the pans. Continue baking until panko coating is golden and crisp, 7-12 minutes more.

Great idea! I used the same technique on some thick pork chops last night, except that I browned them in grapeseed oil, then baked them off in a 325º oven for 15 minutes. The panko and parmesan add great texture as well as great flavor.

Ooh, an oven-baked version! I loved when my mom would make these, and I made them a couple times myself but mom’s version is always better! We’d eat them with a mayo-soy sauce mix. Not sure of the ratio, maybe 4 parts mayo to 1 part soy sauce? Whatever tastes good.

My daughter and I loved this recipe so much we made them for Thanksgiving. Because neither of my kids are ‘dippers’ or sauce lovers, they wanted a bit of extra flavor, so we added a bit of curry and garlic powder to the recipe… they were even better the second day! Thanks for the great recipes, we love trying them!